Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-04-16

w 71a@NDSo AZ A w wao ia gIt fye o.b.
CAPT. MASON. ener and preservel
of the human body is the sea. The captain:
81 years are lightly worm "Not over so,
any one would say who made guess on his
age. Born in Connecticut, with a generous
inheritance of rugged Scotch blood in his
veins, he has both the spirit and physique
which enable him to go forth into Neptune's
kingdom without fear. Sharp brown eyes, a
rosy complexion, sandy whiskers and mus
tache and dark hair, grizzled little-these,
with short and comfortably stout body,
make up the captains personnel-exactly
the kind of man, one can see at glance, who
would be undismayed when others would be
! terror stricken.
Long voyages have been his fate of late,
though he was for long time in the Atlantic
trade. Now he goes to Yokohama and other
| places as distant, each voyage consuming a
year or the greater part of it. He COM
manded one ship for twenty-five years, long
| life for ship without accident He was once
wrecked and lost his ship His wife sailed
with him for thirty-fve years, and his
children-two sons and two daughters-were
also with him until almost grown. In few
weeks he goes to Spain, to Bilboa, which will
)e one of his shortest voyages.
why do you continue your voyages, cap
tain" asked. "Dont you feel as though
YOU had earned life of repose, ard don't
you want to quit the sea?'
"Wen," he said, 81 still go, partly from ne
ressity and partly because l can't resist the
| temptation. We seamen are honest and
nipple minded; not able to cope with the
sharpers on land. They generally fleece us
ana senu us to sea again, whether we will or
TO-"
at always seems to me that you rugged
men of the water know no fear. How is it?"
[ asked
ave are often anxious, of course" said the
captain. During wild weather we have
our minds on leaks and other possible acct
dents; but as for fearing death-being abso-
lutely afraid Of what lies on the other side of
it-why that never enters my mind, nor any
other commanders mindn
Faith, religion, have they anyn
VERY few that know are either blessed
or cursed by it. They think they have oil
Une ncll here eLa4 .I.ey ueeu. As for living
after death at all, they don't bother about it.
Perhaps ttey do and perhaps they don't At
any rate, that's fence they don't jump till
they come to it."
AoOlOAOllo, nave you any
Your profession is credited with plenty"
Il am not troubled much that way But
every man has his superstitions. l own to
one. 1t is rats. When rats all leave ship
'efore she sails / take it as sign that that
nip is coming to grief, and wouldn't care
I'D sail in herr
as that standard superstition? And does
disaster follow the emigration of ratsm
UVnS II &c G-onlx- holi ~, -
rom good authority that the rats get out of
ne way of trouble
perhaps it is not so uncanny a sign after
III. Possibly the rats gnawing and burrow-
ng everywhere are shrewder than we think.
hey may see signs Of leaks, or have knowl-
dye Of rottenneSs not dreamed of by the
master Of the ship!"
~ don't know how it is" said the captain.
"but believe in it. No ratless ship shall
AIRY me out to sea if 1 know it. Some cap
aims draw the line on Friday For me Friday
was always lucky. But l know of a bark
hat was launched on Friday, had several
accidents happen on Friday, and finally went
Town on Friday"
Capt. Mason says that sailors now are
uostly Scandinavians. An American before
he mast is an exception. There are two
-.
rule, are so intelligent that they climb i'm
rnediately out Of an inferior position into
something better. Another, and perhaps the
better, is that the spirit Of the American is
~ nature against filling a servile position.
He will dig, shovel dirt, chop wood, perform
he hardest labor, and still feel a man; but he
will not put himself in place where he can
be ordered, beaten, kicked or starved at the
whim Of another. He will be no mental
Servitor for any man. Every order of service
that requires servile obedience and a loss of
self respect must be filed by foreigners.
American lackeys. coachmen and walters are |
few. The foreigner, used to feeling himself |
an inferior, comes here and contentedly takes |
mental service. But his children, born and |
bred here, have in them the spirit of freedom |
which has made this the most beautiful coun- |
try on the earth, and they feel themselves |
individuals, men and women, with personal |
dignity that refuses to let them become serfs. |
Capt. Mason is an expert in calculating |
time and distance. In twenty different in |
stances he has named ahead the date of ar
rival on voyage of 100 days He is but an |
Indifferent sightseer Never was on the /
Brooklyn bridge in his life, and never goes
to see any great doings of any kind when he
is in foreign port.
He is type of a class that ere long will
doubtless be utterly extinct. Steam has al
most driven canvas from IT, waves, and with
the final departure of the sails go the sturdy
captains of the past, the men who are pictur-
esque and interesting in literature and in
life. GG